All posts tagged: food

Spring has arrived back in Barcelona, casting the softest light into my little cabin and the surrounding neighbourhood of El Born. A little photo series of a weekend spent with coffees and strawberries, with sunbathing my feet on the little balcony, strolling my streets endlessly and falling once anew for Barcelona’s sometimes bold, often subtle beauty at each and every corner.

I have been living in Barcelona for almost four months now and I couldn’t be happier in my own little studio, enjoying coffee, breakfast, books and life on my own every weekend. So here is to procrastinating and to life in this bustling city behind the centuries-old stone walls. Worst I bring I have a dirty mind Oh, I need, I need new ways To waste my time I need new ways Worst I bring I live alone, alone, alone Worst I face Keep me inside, I need new ways To waste my time I need, I need new ways I’m trying to get out Find a subtle way out Not just cross myself out Not just disappear I’ve been trying to stay out But there’s something in you I can’t be without I just need it here Daughter – New Ways

It’s this time of year where even a snow enthusiast like me is craving for the first springy precursors. However, sub-zero temperatures seem to have settled in Amsterdam, so a cozy weekend was calling once more. As pancakes are a loyal companion on my photos and so many of you have asked me as to how I prepare them, find my recipe below this time. Otherwise feel free to indulge in those comfy pillows, strong cups of coffee and cabin-like wood details as I’m used to these days. Rural pancake recipe for the perfect cottage day at home: 1 egg 0,1 litre of almond milk 1 tsp. chia seeds 1 tsp. hemp powder (can easily be left out) 3 tablespoons of coconut blossom sugar 1 tsp. baking powder as much flour as needed to get a viscous batter (I like my pancakes to be thick but fluffy so the mix shouldn’t spread too much in the pan) any add-on or -ins you can think of (e.g. frozen berries, fresh fruits, nuts, cocoa nibs, granola …) …

One of my favourite things about travelling is finding a happy place along the road. And if there is no trip coming up in the seizable future (four weeks is still a long time to go for my liking), I have myself my own little cabin in the woods from time to time. Pancakes, big pots of coffee and wanderlusty dreams included.

Sometimes in life I am prone to looking back to those good times. Past periods we tend to romanticize. With me, it is my study years. When there was hardly any money to pay rent but always enough to invest in decent red wine, theatre tickets and museum visits. When I dreamt of all those distant places I couldn’t afford to go to. Some few years later I happily find myself occasionally travelling the world and satisfying my insatiable sense of wanderlust. It was Paris that evoke that feeling of boheme inside me again. Living for the moment. This is why I spent a rather casual long weekend in Paris over New Year’s Eve, which means no sore feet but also no cliché Eiffeltower captures (sorry). What evoked that boheme feeling? My Airbnb apartment in the artists’ quarter Montmartre did. A time-worn wooden floor, imposing pieces of art and oh so beautiful vintage furniture is all I need say. Beside excellent coffee from the french press in the apartment I tried the one or other coffee place …

Some grey autumn days simply call for a weekend of homeliness. Particularly if your man comes home from a long business trip, bringing along the most tasty coffee from Vietnam. Just imagine boiling water on coarsely ground coffee beans, exuding a chocolatey and nutty scent. I added on the smell of fresh waffles and a Sunday of slow living began. Sometimes it’s just the right ingredients you need for a perfectly cozy day. I for example can’t relax with my jeans or make-up on. But give me a onesie pyjama, a hot herbal tea and the new Kinfolk Home and I’m in. Here is my list of coziness helpers for you – from cuddy clothes to mindful readings: Oysho Clipper Teas Kinfolk Ignant The Future Kept Ravenscourt Apothecary

Every now and then Amsterdam gets a little too busy for me. A moment when I feel like packing my most beloved knitted pullovers and woolen socks and head off to the countryside. Luckily I found the most idyllic tiny home in beautiful Zeeland right at the Dutch coast. Local pumpkins, an old gas stove and a wonderfully comfortable stone floor made me feel at home instantly. Cooking and baking here came pretty close to what they call slow living. The other side of the ground floor reveals a cozy sofa corner, inviting me to long reads, countless cups of coffee and cuddling under the blanket. And there is still room for even more coziness! Let’s head to the attic with its beautiful, rustic bathroom. A wonderful place to take a relaxing bath after a relaxing day. And when there is a bed that looks sort of like a honeymoon location, it can’t get any better. It’s so calming to just sip on some hot tea, read a good book and be peaceful. Thank you …

Ending our magnificent roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest, we stayed five days in Vancouver. It was the place that surprised us most. A whole lot of concrete, milky-green house facades and the grey weather painted a different picture than the shiny one it is always described as. However, as I have a soft spot for authentic, edgy places, we found our way through the city – with Gastown and Revolver Coffee being our hot spots. The most wonderful part about Vancouver is, though, that everything is so close: endless woods, the mountains, the ocean, little islands and the city. We took a little ferry to Granville Island, famous for its permanent farmer’s market. And then there was my most favourite place in whole Vancouver: Le Marché St. George. Long before we arrived in Canada, I had discovered this beautiful café on Instagram. I was so happy to find it that I actually spent most of my BC time here. But who can blame me with those delicious crêpes on the lovely plates? Most remarkable about …

Back when I lived in Hamburg I used to have a love-hate-relationship with the city in the north of Germany. Returning for a weekend, I have fallen all over again for its harbour, the view out to the cranes at night, all those cafés I called my second home. Combining the weekend trip with a wedding to celebrate was the best reason to enjoy some carefree days in Hamburg. Coffee at elbgold, waffles at Salon Wechsel Dich, delving among books at stories! and finally a wedding in front of the harbour panorama made this stay just perfect. And waking up in classy Hotel Hafen Hamburg also had its part to play… After my traditional Sunday morning routine, breakfast at Kaffee Stark, it was time to fly black to Amsterdam – but with quite some wistfulness in my luggage.

I was sleepless in Seattle with Meg Ryan when I was a kid. I went to see Frasier’s office quite often – via TV at least. And my favourite radio channel KEXP is based in Washington’s beauty. There are quite a few things that attracted me to come to Seattle. Yet it was not the easiest city to approach somehow. With almost intrusively open-minded (in the very best sense) Portland and a lot of peaceful nature adventures behind me on this roadtrip, Seattle was a bit of a challenge to grasp. Probably due to the lack of time I had here. Nevertheless, I saw some wonderful and surprising parts of the city. And – of course – was so unbelievably lucky with my third Airbnb apartment on this journey again. Based right in hip Capitol Hill, I used the first night of my arrival to see the sundown against Seattle’s skyline from Kerry Park. The term “park” is not exactly appropriate for this little grass verge but it is ever so popular with locals and …